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Want to See the Stars? These Astronomy Communities Offer Amazing Nightly Views

The night sky has always fascinated people. Historically, people sat outside after the sun dipped below the horizon to gaze up at the infinite tide of stars set in the inky sky and used them to guide their movements after dark.

Despite the advent of electricity and GPS systems making starlight unnecessary for nocturnal action, we have remained enthralled with the interaction of these heavenly bodies and have attempted to reconnect with the majesty of starlight.

An infographic with cosmos images and stars to help explain what dark sky communities and astronomy villages are and how they are regulated. Across America, communities have taken special measures to ensure that residents and visitors can experience the overwhelming beauty of stars, without a filter of smog and light. If you lived in these communities, you’d have a front-row seat to view the skies.

Astronomy Villages

Imagine a place untouched by light or noise pollution. Imagine the blackness of nighttime, set ablaze by the undimmed light of the moon and stars. If the mental picture you just conjured aggravates your wanderlust, hop in your car and head to one of the many astronomy villages that dot the United States.

Astronomy villages, such as Arizona’s Sky Village and Deerlick Astronomy Village in Georgia, typically sit in remote parts of a state and work hard to preserve the beauty of the nighttime sky and stars. In these artfully planned communities, you can sit under the Milky Way and experience the sky. Amateur astronomers can also take advantage of the many specialized telescopes that astronomy villages tend to have to explore the depths of space. In some cases, residents have their own observatories in their home to view the skies.

While astronomy villages tend to limit development to preserve the pristine nature of the sky, true lovers of remote serenity can buy homes in them. The only downside of living in a peacefully remote community is the spotty Wi-Fi. If you’re interested in living in an astronomy community, here are some more worth investigating: Chieflands Astronomy Village in Florida, New Mexico Skies Astronomy Enclave and Sierra la Rana in Texas.

Dark Sky Communities

For stargazers that cannot move out to the middle of nowhere, dark sky communities are the best of all possible worlds. Any community that follows the International dark sky community guidelines can apply and become a dark sky community, allowing more urban and developed areas to allow their residents to live in a fantastic environment. Dark sky communities like Dripping Springs, Texas, and Flagstaff, Ariz., are in some of the most popular new-home cities and can allow families to live in a beautiful new home and in a beautiful setting.

While the night sky is not nearly as rare as a total eclipse, it helps connect us to the beautiful world that surrounds us. You and your family can experience the sublime sight of the stars uninhibited by electric light without moving to the middle of nowhere. Sit outside your beautiful new home, look up and breathe in the starlight.